A transformation system for deductive database modules with perfect model semantics (Q1208734)

The paper presents a transformation system for deductive databases organized in hierarchies of modules, and shows that this transformations preserve several well-known and useful properties of deductive databases such as stratification, call-consistency, well-foundedness and others, under quite general conditions. Moreover, the transformation system is shown correct for the perfect model semantics of deductive databases. In more details, the author shows that under the condition of stratification compatibility, classical logic equivalence between deductive databases reduces to equivalence with respect to the perfect model semantics. Then, the author proves that the proposed transformation schemes preserve several dependency properties, such as those cited above. An interesting aspect of the proposed transformation system is that it copes with the presence of constrained clauses. However, the semantics associated to transformations is parametric to the specific type of constrains. Finally, the important issue of modularization and the way it relates with the application of transformations is considered. The issues are both theoretically interesting and practically relevant. The addressed issues are developed in a satisfactory manner. In particular, the technical quality of the paper is good and the reference list is complete and up to date. The only real problem with this paper is that, in some parts, it becomes quite difficult to read (especially for someone not deeply involved in this specific field). Maybe this aspect could have been taken better care of, for instance, by using a larger number of examples. In the overall, however, this is a good paper, which is surely worth the (non-trivial) effort needed to read it.